Professional and recreational basketball have been popular with both adults and children for years. Its popularity appears to have intensified recently due, in part, to extensive media coverage of college and professional basketball games and the emergence of various basketball superstars. Accordingly, there is an increasing demand for basketball paraphernalia and games, including basketball games that may be found in arcades, bars or basketball training facilities.
A variety of basketball games are known. Most of these games include stationary basketball hoops and backboards which are mounted within partially enclosed areas. Players are positioned at a set distance from and directly in front of the fixed hoops for shooting basketballs. The basketballs are returned to the players via an inclined surface beneath the basketball hoop. The basketballs usually remain, en masse, at the bottom of the inclined surface until shot at the basketball hoop by the player. Play continues until a timer-activated automatic mechanism intercepts the basketballs on an upper portion of the inclined surface and precludes them from returning to the player. A scoring device calculates the number of successfully shot basketballs and permits the player to compete with himself or herself or another.
Other known automated basketball games include basketball hoops and backboards which are rotatable or movable towards or away from players. These games were developed for presenting players with a variety of different angled shots and distances from the players to the basketball hoops and backboards. While the known movable basketball games present players with a variety of shots and are an improvement over the games having stationary hoops and backboards, they are generally less than satisfactory for numerous reasons, as described below.
First, the known movable basketball games require and occupy considerable space for their assembly and operation, which is particularly problematic when those games are intended for use in bars or other establishments of limited space. This large space requirement is due, in some instances, to the manner in which the basketball hoop is rotated or moved towards and away from players. Since most prior games are wider than the typical doorway of 36 inches, the games must be nearly completely disassembled to pass through the doorway.
Second, with the known movable basketball games, it is difficult to control the delivery and return of basketballs one at a time to players. Instead, basketballs are usually returned to players en masse so that there are always several basketballs accessible to the player at any given time. This permits the player to keep shooting balls even after the game has stopped and permits the improper removal of balls from the game.
Third, the mechanisms which move the known movable basketball hoops and backboards generally are unprotected from thrown basketballs and are therefore susceptible to damage. Moreover, these same exposed mechanisms often interfere with the delivery and return of basketballs which are deflected or blocked from the proper return path. When the games are income generating, as they often are, frequent breakdowns result in financial losses to the owner.
Fourth, variations in game play are limited with the known movable basketball games. Specifically, game play typically involves one or more players shooting basketballs at hoops against a timed deadline. This limits interest and discourages repeated use.
Thus, while the existing movable basketball games offer players the basic essentials--movable hoops and backboards and a plurality of basketballs--they are extremely limited in their structure and operation, as explained above.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automated basketball game having an improved rotatable and linearly displaceable basketball hoop and backboard.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automated basketball game that presents to the players a hoop and backboard in a variety of different positions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automated basketball game that requires minimal space for assembly and operation and can easily pass through a typical doorway without extensive disassembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automated basketball game that returns basketballs shot at the hoop and backboard and feeds them, one at a time, to the player(s).
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automated basketball game that permits the players to play a multiplicity of different games.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an automated basketball game that is adjustable in height for accommodating both adults and children and which also is compactible for shipping purposes.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an automated basketball game in which critical components are protected from impact and damage due to the basketballs, and in which these components move with the basketball hoop and backboard.